Reading Feed (February 2015)

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Blog:GiveWell | Thoughts on the Sandler Foundation -- GiveWell, re: its in-progress effort to explore opportunities for effective political advocacy: "...we see the Sandler Foundation as something of a proof of concept that high-impact grants can come from opportunistic generalists."

Self:Empty Declarations -- I have thoughts on the UC's response to the Chapel Hill shootings.

Blog:Fredrik deBoer | what's really going on with the Beck-Beyonce thing -- "I'm not suggesting that there's no political meaning to be had in these various artistic affiliations. What I am suggesting is that these attachments cannot possibly substitute for a healthy, functioning racial politics. They are designed to be a way to hide out from exactly the kind of risk and personal investment that are a prerequisite of meaningful political advancement."

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Blog:Thing of Things | In Praise of Reformism -- Thesis: If most randomly-organized worlds are worse than the hill we've currently climbed to the top of (and they are), then "shake things up" is more likely to be harmful than helpful.

Blog:Slate Star Codex | Living By the Sword -- Summarizes with "Given infinite freedom of association, most people end will up in more or less the community they deserve." Yes, I'm on a bit of a Slate-Star binge.

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Blog:EA Blog: Peter Hurford | EA is the best choice I've ever made -- "Many people think of effective altruism as some sort of sacrifice -- you have to give up income and time in some sort of moral obligation to make the world a better place. I think this approach is misguided. Instead, I think being an EA is the best choice I've ever made for myself, personally and selfishly."